Lord of the Ants

Screening direct from Venice competition, the powerful new drama from Gianni Amelio (Hammamet IFF20, Open Doors) recounts the controversial trial of Aldo Braibanti, an intellectual whose relationship with a younger student caused a nationwide scandal. Rome, 1968. Soft-spoken playwright Braibanti (Luigi Lo Cascio, The Ties IFF21) is arrested on charges of ‘plagiarism’; that he subjugated another person and led them morally astray. The charges – resting on a rarely cited Fascist-era law – are brought by the family of his partner Ettore (newcomer Leonardo Maltese) who, seeking to extract the younger man from Braibanti’s influence, commits him to a psychiatric hospital. Braibanti elects to run his own defence, one where the very essence of his life is scrutinised: art, science, philosphy and sexuality. Meanwhile, the case receives national attention through the efforts of a local journalist (Elio Germano, Hidden Away IFF 21) whose empathetic reporting stokes community suspicion and the ire of his editor. Elegantly mounted and superbly performed, Amelio’s impassioned film is a deeply affecting reminder of the conflicts that simmer just below the surface of ‘civilised’ society, as much now as ever.